Paternity Leave to Be Available in The Czech Republic in 2018

As many as 80,000 new fathers in the Czech Republic—more than 70 percent of the yearly total—are expected to take advantage of a newly established paternity leave providing seven days off work at as much as 70 percent of salary, according to a senior ministry of labor and social affairs official.

Approved by the Czech Republic’s parliament in April and scheduled to take effect Feb. 1, 2018, paternity leave will be available to both employees and self-employed individuals within the first six weeks of the birth or adoption of a child.

The paternity leave’s adoption makes the Czech Republic the 24th country in the European Union with paid time off for new fathers, Merhautova added.

New fathers will receive benefits equal to 70 percent of wages up to 28,000 CZK, 60 percent of wages between 28,000 to 42,000 CZK, and 30 percent of wages from 42,000 to 85,000 CZK.